MONTREAL — The NDP is the best chance Canadians have at defeating Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, Tom Mulcair proclaimed Saturday during a rousing speech one day before Liberals choose a new leader.

Speaking before some 2,100 enthusiastic, banner-toting delegates at the party’s policy convention, the NDP leader didn’t shy away from talking about the Grits who are expected to elect the charismatic and increasingly popular Justin Trudeau. The NDP’s strategy thus far has been to largely ignore the third-place party.

“My friends, make no mistake: we’ve got the vision to unite progressives,” he said after being introduced by his wife Catherine, one of several attempts over the weekend to demonstrate his softer, more personal side — a move some suggest is in part to counter the Trudeau-mania that’s ensued during the Liberal race.

“We’re strong, we’re united and we’re determined.”

Mulcair slammed both the Liberals and Conservatives for doing “nothing” on daycare, climate change or for workers when either party has been in power, and argued the two even “conspired to defeat” anti-scab legislation.

“Despite 13 years in power, Liberals did nothing on transit, nothing on housing, nothing on student debt, except make things worse.”

He urged supporters to “have faith” that the NDP would “not be like the Liberals and Conservatives” and warned his opponents that they will “face an NDP election machine unlike anything they’ve ever seen” come 2015.

Despite numerous interruptions from a small but vocal segment of far-left party members that complained about the NDP’s choice of guest speakers, opposed attempts to water down socialist rhetoric in the party’s constitution and ultimately expressed concerns Mulcair was moving the party too close to the centre, in the end, the NDP leader won the confidence of 92.3 per cent of delegates.

Critics in both the Liberal and Conservative party, however, pointed to the socialist fringe as evidence the party has plenty of kinks to work out before it forms government.

“There’s serious divisions within the NDP. The NDP has lost three members of their caucus in the past year. One is now an independent, one is now a member of the Bloc Quebecois and one crossed the floor to the Liberal Party,” said Heritage Minister James Moore, who attended the convention as an observer.

“There are a lot of social democrats on the left side of the NDP who think still, Thomas Mulcair is a lifelong Quebec Liberal who sat in the cabinet with Jean Charest, the former leader of the national Progressive Conservative Party. What social democrat does that?”

Although the NDP has portrayed itself as a “disciplined party” since becoming the Official Opposition, Liberal industry critic Marc Garneau added the convention really puts the spotlight on those elements that don’t like free trade, the oilsands, public-private partnerships and who advocate in favour of nationalizing banks and companies.

“They have to deal with a whole bunch of issues that frankly speak to their ability from a fiscal point of view,” he said outside the convention hall.

“Yes they’re progressive as we are in the Liberal Party, but are they capable of persuading Canadians that they can be responsible managers of the economy? I think this is what it’s all about this weekend.”

The second day of the convention focused on party fundraising, recruitment and outreach. A number of policies related to the environment, First Nations and human rights.

I cover justice, immigration and public safety issues as part of the Postmedia News politics team. I also keep tabs on what the official Opposition — the NDP — is up to in the House of Commons.
Before... read more coming here I spent several years in Montreal and Toronto with The Canadian Press covering provincial politics and major crime and court stories. I also helped cover the war in Afghanistan from inside and outside the wire.
I previously worked for the Ottawa Sun chasing crime stories and following convicts through the court system.
I love the unpredictability of my job and believe the opportunity to help document history as it unfolds is an awesome privilege that never ceases to give me chills.
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